PSG vs Nice preview

October 25, 2017
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Having narrowly avoided the first defeat of the campaign in the big derby against Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to return to winning ways against out-of-sorts Nice.

Les Aiglons are going through a very difficult patch at the moment and they have little to hope for ahead of the trip to Parc des Princes.

With the arrival of Neymar and Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain finally seem ready to mount a serious title challenge in the Champions League, and they have been quite impressive so far.

Big wins over Celtic (5-0), Bayern (3-0) and Anderlecht (4-0) served as a major lift to everyone at the club, but the Saints also want to win back the league trophy from Monaco.

The Ligue 1 campaign has been going according to the plan as well, and PSG boast a four-point cushion at the league summit after 10 rounds.

The Saints were on the verge of the first defeat of the season at Stade Velodrome, but Edinson Cavani’s late free-kick goal spared the blushes and denied Marseille what would have been an important victory.

PSG will be without Brazilian superstar Neymar, who misses out through suspension, with Angel Di Maria expected to deputise.

Dani Alves and Hatem Ben Arfa remain on the sidelines, whereas Lucas Moura is unlikely to be in contention as he lacks match fitness.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Areola – Meunier, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Kurzawa – Verratti, Motta, Rabiot – Mbappe, Cavani, Di Maria.

Nice enjoyed one of the most successful seasons up to date last term as they achieved a top 3 finish in Ligue 1, but they have since experienced all sorts of problems.

It would appear as though the club management failed to properly reinforce the squad over the summer, resulting in some major struggles during the busy schedule.

Nice did record two easy wins in Europa League group stage, but were then soundly beaten at home by Lazio, while their league campaign has been a disappointment as well.

Les Aiglons have now lost four successive games on all fronts and three in the league, slipping to 14th in the overall standings.

And with leaders Paris Saint-Germain next at Parc des Princes, the barren run looks likely to continue for Lucien Favre’s side.

The Swiss coach also has major selection problems with Wylan Cyprien, Jean-Michael Seri and Mickael Le Bihan out injured, and Mario Balotelli and Ignatius Ganago rated doubtful.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Cardinale – Souquet, Marlon, Dante, Jallet – Koziello, Mendy – Lees Melou, Sneijder, Saint-Maximin – Plea.

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